Battery carrier



Jan. 11, 1938. DAWSON 2,105,349

BATTERY CARRIER Filed March 30, 1936 IrwenZvr VERNON B. DAWSON Patented Jan. 11, 1938 STAES BATTERY CARRIER Vernon B. Dawson, Wilmington, Del.

Application March 30, 1936, Serial No. 71,622 3 Claims. (Cl. 294 -92) This invention relates generally to lifting devices and more particularly to an improved construction of lifting and carrying strap for storage batteries and the like.

Among the principal objects .of the present invention is to provide a battery carrier in the form of a strap having terminals at each end, thereof for respectively grippingthe posts of a battery, the gripping terminals being readily adjustable to fit posts of different sizes and being further self-adjusting, under the weight of the suspended battery, to firmly and securely grip the posts to insure against accidental release of the posts and dropping of the battery.

Other objects and advantages of the invention and economies effected by the constructional details of the invention will be apparent more fully hereinafter, it being noted that the invention consists substantially in the combination,

construction, arrangementand relative location of parts, all as will be described in the following specification, as shown in the accompanying drawing and as finally pointed out in the appended claims.

2 In the accompanying drawing, which illus-.

trates a preferred construction of the invention: Figure l is a side elevational view showing the carrier of the present invention in its operative relation to a battery to be lifted; 6 Figure 2 is a side elevational view of one of the post-gripping terminals of the carrier;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the terminal shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the carrier terminal showing its application to a battery post (also shown in section) and Figures 5 and 6 are plan views, respectively, showing the serrated faces of the top and bottom plate members of the carrier terminal.

' 4o Referringnow to the drawing, it will be observed that the battery carrier of the present invention comprises a lifting and carrying strap Ill, preferably formed of leather, webbing or other suitably strong material, to each end of which 45 is secured a terminal device designated generally by the numeral II. This terminal device, with which this invention is primarily concerned, essentially includes the bottom plate member I2, the top plate member l3, and the ball or link 50 member It, all of these parts being operatively connected togethenas will presently appear, to provide ,a unitary assembly of which no one part can be displaced or lost. The bottom plate member I2, which is shown in plan view in Figure 6, is provided at its outer extremity with a perforation l5 of sufliciently large diameter to loosely embrace a battery post of maximum diameter, as when in new and unworn condition. The opposite rear corners of the plate member l2 are, respectively, provided 5 with looped extensions |6-l6 which serve as opposed hinge elements for the link member 14, as will appear hereafter. In addition, the member I2 is provided with a square rivet or bolt aperture l1 and also with a series of transversely 10 extending tooth-like serrations l8. These se'rrations are formed in the upper face of the plate member l5. The top plate member I3 is of generally T- shaped outline, as shown most clearly in Figure 1 5, and is provided in its outer extremity with a semi-circular notch l9 and centrally thereof with a rectangularaperture 20. This plate member I3 is adapted for fiatwise disposition upon the plate member I2 in such manner that the apertures ll 20 and 20 of these members are brought into registry with one another, in which position the base portion 2| of the member I3 is disposed between the opposed hinge elements Iii-46 of the bottom plate member l2. The under surface of the 5 upper plate member I3 is also provided with a series of transversely extending tooth-like serrations 22 for engagement with the complementally formed serrations in the upper face of the bottom plate member 12. A rivet, bolt or other suitable fastening element 23 is projected commonly through the registering apertures l1 and 20 of the superposed plate members l2 and I3 to holdv the latter in the assembled relation shown in Figures 2 to 4, it being noted in this connection that the said securing element 23 is so designed that enough play is left between the parts l2 and I3 as to permit. the serrations l8 and 22 thereof to be disengaged fromone another preliminarily to adjusting the device to fit a particular battery post. The shank of the rivet 23 is squared so that when projected through the apertures l1 and 20 the members I! and i3 are maintained against angular displacement in a horizontal plane and yet are permitted a certain amount of relative longitudinal adjustment. It will also be noted that the portion 2| of the upper T- shaped member l3 extends rearwardly a substantial distance beyond the transverse axis of the hinge elements ISI8 of the plate member I2 and that the said hinge elements are solo cated that their common axis is downwardly offset from the horizontal plane of the main body of the member l2. The bail or link member I4 is provided at one extremity thereof with a pair of oppositely projecting pins 24 which respectively project through and are joumalled within the hinge elements It of the plate member l2, said ball I 4 being further provided with a slot 25 through which is passed one end of the strap ID, the said end of the strap being thus securedto the bail in any suitable manner. The link member l4 by virtue of its hinged connection with the member I2 is free to move angularly with respect to the latter about the common axis of the pintles 24-24, this action being important as will be seen presently in that it insures that the terminal securely grips the battery post. In this connection,- it will be observed that the serrations l8 and 22 of the plate members l2 and I3respectively are oppositely in-.- clined so that when these serrations are in .engagement with each other as shown in Figures 2 and 4, longitudinal separation of the members l2 and I3 is effectually precluded. However, due to the permissible play aflorded between these mem bers I 2 and I3 by the securing element 23, the

members I2 and I3 may be relatively adjusted when the terminal is free of the weight of the battery to decrease or increase the effective diameter of the aperture IS, the degree of this adjustment being governed solely by the limits of the elongated slot 20 in the upper member l3. It will be understood that this adjustment in efiective diameter of the aperture I5 is obtained by so shifting the upper plate l3 longitudinally of the bottom plate l2 as to present the'semi-circular notch IQ of the plate I3 more or less interiorly of the circumference. of the aperture l5 formed in the member l2. This permissible adjustment is represented by the arcuate dotted line shown in the left-hand portion of Figure 3 to produce a decreased eifective diameter 1) as against a maximumpermissible diameter a (see Figure 6).

As appears most clearly in Figure 4, the arcuate notch I9 of the plate I3 is preferably undercut orbeveled throughout its extent to provide a sharpened edge 26 for more efiectively engaging the wall of the battery post A. Also, as appears most clearly in Figure 4, it will be observed that as the strap in is pulled upwardly against the weight of the battery, the link member I4 is necessarily rotated in counterclockwise direction about its hinged axis and engages the inner edge 21 of the member I 3 with the consequent result that the said member l3-is forced into intimate engagement with the post A at the same time that the serrations '22 .thereof are more firmly pressed against and so more firmly engage the serrations Q8 of the bottom plate member l2. Thus, the

weight of the battery itself serves to secure the gripping terminals ll of the carrier all the more tightly upon the battery posts A. To release the gripping terminals I I from their respective posts, it is merely necessary to relieve the carrier of the weight of the battery, whereupon the link members 14 drop downwardly and out of engagement with the free edges 2'! of the upper members l3, following which the plates l3 and I2 may be readily slipped apart sufllciently to remove the .terminals from the gusts -A.

It will be unders 00d, of course, that the invention is susceptible of various changes and modiflcations which may be made from time to time without departing from the real spirit or general principles thereof and it is accordingly intended to claim the invention broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful-is:

1. In a lifting device, in combination, a pair of members arranged in superimposed relation, one

of said members being provided with an aperture tured member adapted to loosely embrace a post or like structure onan article to be lifted, a. bail member hinged to one-extremity of said apertured member, a lifting strap or handle secured to said ball, said bail and apertured member being relatively so arranged that an upward pull on said strap or handle causes said bail to be angularly rotated with respect to said aperturedinember,

and a second member superimposed upon said apertured member and longitudinally shiftable with respect thereto, the forward edge of said second member being adapted to engage the post embraced by said apertured member and the rear edge thereof being engaged by said bail upon an upward pull of said strap or handle whereby said second member coacts with said apertured member to securely grip said post.

3. A lifting device of the character defined in claim 2 including coacting means in said superimposed members for interlocking the same against unintentional separation.

' VERNON B. DAWSON. 

